TWO TORY LETTER SIGNATORIES ARE BOSSES OF COMPANIES NAMED AND SHAMED BY BIS FOR CHEATING STAFF OUT OF THE NATIONAL MINIMUM WAGEMembers look forward to the next batch of minimum wage cheats, tax dodgers and party donors who will be rushing forward to support Tory economic strategy says GMB

GMB has identified at least two bosses of companies that have been named and shamed by BIS for cheating workers out of the national minimum wage.

These are among the 120 that have now signed the letter to the Daily Telegraph (1st and 2nd April 2015) asking voters to support the Tory Party See notes to editors for full list of all 120 signatories including the 17 who signed on 2nd April. See also notes to editors for copy of GMB press release on the 103 who signed on 1st April.

Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary, said “The Tory list of shame has dramatically grown by the exposure that at least two of the signatories - Nadir Lalani and Jonathan Newhouse- are bosses of companies named and shamed by Cameron’s and Osborne’s own government for cheating workers out of the national minimum wage.

Two of the latest bosses to sign are linked to Tory donors Pinewood Studios and Selfridges. Another boss is linked to a second Lux leaks tax dodger. Citi Private Bank is a subsidiary of Citigroup which features in Lux leak files.

As for Osborne suggestion that this list is “unprecedented” there are 17 people who are serial signers of Tory round robin letters to the Telegraph.

GMB members look forward to the next batch of minimum wage cheats, tax dodgers and Tory donors who will be rushing forward to support Tory economic strategy.”

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Contact: Kamaljeet Jandu, GMB National Equality and Diversity Officer on 07956 237178 or Lisa Johnson 07900392 228 or Martin Smith, GMB National Organiser on 07974 251722 or GMB Press Office 07921 28988.Notes to Editors1 GMB press release 1st April 2015BOSSES LINKED TO TAX DODGING, BLACKLISTING, ZERO HOURS CONTRACTS, JOB LOSSES, PUBCOS AND TORY DONORS ARE SIGNATORIES TO TELEGRAPH LETTERList of shame shows that voters have a stark choice - a party governing in the interest of corporate bosses and tax breaks for the wealthy or a party seeking to provide rights and protection for working people says GMBGMB has identified bosses, among the 103 that signed the letter to the Daily Telegraph today (1st April 2015) asking voters to support the Tory Party, from companies with links to tax dodging, blacklisting, zero hours contracts, pubcos, potential job losses and collapse of Southern Cross care homes and well as known Tory donors. The details are set out below. See notes to editors for full list of all 103 signatories.Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary, said “The 103 company bosses talking about what is good for them include:

· The boss of one company named in the Lux leaks tax dodging scandal;· The bosses of two blacklisting companies;· The bosses of at least two companies linked to workers on zero hours;· The bosses of five pubco companies accused of ripping off pub customers;· The boss of one company where there are potential redundancies;· a landlord of care homes run by Southern Cross which collapsed in 2011;· 30 known Tory donors giving the impression they are not partisans.

This list of shame shows that voters are faced with a stark choice - a party governing in the interest of corporate bosses with zero hours contracts and for tax breaks for the wealthy elite or a party seeking to provide rights and protection for working people."The list of shame is as follows:Boss of one Lux leaks tax dodging company:

Tidjane Thiam

CEO, Prudential Plc

Prudential Plc

Prudential had files released in December 2009, advised by PwC on project ‘Lindsell Malta Investments’.Hyde Dollco, S.a.r.l. currently owned by Hyde Holdco 3 Ltd, a company that is part of the Prudential PLC Group. It holds Class B1 shares for approximately USD 1,065m and Class B2 shares for USD 15,000 in Lindsell Malta Investment Ltd, a company resident in Malta. The shares held in the Maltese company have been financed by a loan granted by Prudential (Gibralter two) S.a.r.l for approximately USD 1,167m. Hyde Dollco is part of two Forward Sale Agreements concluded with Deutsche Bank Group under which it agreed to sell to Deutsche Bank its Class B1 and B2 shares in the Maltese company for USD 1,106m.Hyde Dollco will use the proceeds, together with other funds, to grant loans for USD 2,3m and USD 1,162m to Prudential (Gibralter two) S.a.r.l and Prudential Capital Holding Company Ltd for 6 months.In July 2009 Prudential were involved with Project Phoebus Malaysian restructuring, and investment involving £130m of investment.Two blacklisting company bosses:

Philip Green CBE

Chairman, Carillion

Carillion

John Morgan

CEO, Morgan Sindall

Morgan Sindall

Blacklisting in the construction industry came to light when in 2009 the ICO seized The Consulting Association (TCA) database of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out of employment trade union and health and safety activists. TCA was run by Ian Kerr based in Worcestershire.Carillion, and associated companies, have been described by Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd as ‘heavy users of the Consulting Association in terms of the amount of information provided by the Carillion Third Parties on workers. Further, the number of occasions on which the Carillion Third Parties are recorded as refusing employment to workers is particularly high compared to other members of the Consulting Association.’In new evidence to the Scottish Affairs Select Committee Inquiry on blacklisting Liz Keats from Carillion received a private and confidential letter on TCA headed paper from Ian Kerr dated 22nd February 2005 on plans to extend blacklisting into the NHS.Morgan Est and Morgan Ashurst who merged in 2010 to form Morgan Sindall are companies known to have used The Consulting Association blacklist.There will be a hearing in the High Court in London on 14th May seeking compensation for 122 GMB members blacklisted by Carillion and other construction employers. The claims were served on 27th November 2013. GMB’s claims were joined with a further 449 claims by other unions and parties at a High Court Hearing in July 2014.At least two zero hours bosses:

Andrew Coppel CBE

CEO, De Vere

De Vere

Nick Robertson OBE

Founder and CEO, Asos

Asos

GMB has members who work in the kitchens at Staverton Park Hotel near Daventry, that is owned by the De Vere Group, GMB had to fight for permanent hours contracts for some of them who were on zero hour contracts for nearly four years. There are always issues with bullying and harassment. There are two grievances at present..That's why Andrew Coppel wants to keep a Tory government in power, to keep workers down!ASOS the online clothing and logistics company is based in Barnsley. GMB has had constant issues with health and safety eg hot working conditions, access to water etc. There is a huge turnover of agency staff, zero hours contracts where workers can be sent home or called in when not on shift. They are against workers having rights and are just a really bad employer.Five Pubco bosses:

Rooney Anande

CEO, Greene King

Greene King

Ralph Findlay

CEO, Marstons

Marstons

Jonathan Neame

CEO, Shepherd Neame

Shepherd Neame

Simon Townsend

CEO, Enterprise Inns

Enterprise Inns

Michael Turner

Non-Executive Chairman, Fuller, Smith & Turner

Fuller

GMB and others campaigned for many years for Parliament to legislate to free tied pubs tenants from the grip of these pubcos bosses. The new law introducing a free market for drinks finally received Royal Assent last month after a backbench Tory revolt.The property companies own over half of Britain’s pubs. They charge sky high rents to tied tenants of these pubs to pay interest on massive financially engineered debts. These debts are held mainly by bondholders in offshore tax havens.Interest payments on these huge debts have to be paid each week before the tenant pours a pint and regardless of whether s/he can make ends meet or not.To pay these sky high rents a pint of lager is on average 80p per pint higher and ale is 65p per pint higher than justified by inflation and like for like changes in taxes since 1987. This is pricing pubs out of the market and they have closed in droves.In 2009 an Office for Fair Trade report concluded that the average tied lessee is being overcharged by pubcos by around £12,000 per annum or £230 per pub per week, after higher “wet rents” and lower “dry rents” are factored into the equation.Potential job losses boss:

Sir Charles Dunstone

Chairman, Dixons Carphone and Talk Talk plc

Dixons Carphone and Talk Talk plc

GMB is dealing with members at Carphone Warehouse in Wednesbury in West Midlands. There is a potential closure of the whole repair centre site with some staff being relocated to a Dixons site in Nottingham, others will face redundancy.Landlord of former Southern Cross care homes: